Growing up in a small town outside Fayetteville, North Carolina, Santes Beatty never imagined his life would stretch far beyond the borders of his community. Today, he serves as the Wesleyan Church’s director of Next Gen Ministries, a teaching pastor and global ministry leader. For Beatty, his most important roles remain closer to home: husband, father of five and grandfather.
“I was born and raised in Raeford, about 45 minutes from Fayetteville and Fort Bragg,” Beatty said. “I had no idea at the time how far God would take me from that little town.”
Beatty studied psychology and sociology at Guilford College, concentrating in peace and conflict studies. Ministry wasn’t his first plan. He expected to enter the counseling field, but at 22, a near-fatal car accident shifted his path. The experience left him with a profound sense of calling, Beatty said.
“I thought someone else would be better suited for ministry,” he stated. “But after the accident, I knew God wasn’t done with me yet. That’s when I surrendered.”
Beatty’s early work in ministry began with mentoring college students. He served in both youth and adult ministries, largely within Black Baptist churches, where he honed his pastoral voice. His first leadership appointment came unexpectedly after a racial incident on campus forced the university to create new programs. Beatty, still a student at the time, was asked to lead.
“That was the beginning of me learning what it means to serve and lead in difficult spaces,” he said.
In 2010, Beatty transitioned into the Wesleyan Church, where he became the denomination’s first director of multiethnic ministries. He went on to pastor multiethnic congregations in North Carolina and then later in Detroit, navigating the challenges of community life and the global pandemic.
But when family health issues arose and grandchildren entered the picture, Beatty and his wife, Nicole, knew it was time to return to North Carolina. After a short sabbatical, he stepped into his current role as director of Next Gen Ministries while continuing to preach and teach.
Family remains central to Beatty’s story. He and Nicole are raising a blended family of five children, ages 10 to 30, alongside two grandchildren and the family dog. He also spends time writing children’s chapter books designed to instill kindness, perseverance and cultural awareness in young readers.
“I want to write books that reflect the world we live in,” Beatty said. “Stories that help kids embrace differences, but also inspire them to live with hope.”
In the pulpit, Beatty draws deeply from the Gospel of John, a book he calls his foundation for teaching. He is drawn to its storytelling, intimacy and its call to wrestle honestly with questions of faith.
“I tell young people all the time — don’t be afraid of your doubts,” said Beatty. “Jesus invited people to ask questions. It’s in the wrestling that we discover truth.”
That approach, he believes, resonates with the next generation.
“Young people don’t want fake passion,” Beatty stated. “They want to see joy that’s real. When you’re lit up about something, they’ll lean in.”
His ministry now stretches across the globe. Beatty has traveled to South Africa, Barbados, the Philippines and Mauritius, witnessing firsthand how the Wesleyan Church is growing beyond the United States.
“It broadens your perspective,” said Beatty. “You realize God’s Kingdom is bigger than our country, bigger than our culture.”
Even as his ministry expands internationally, Beatty carries a clear message for students at Asbury University and other young leaders: let passion inspire others and let love lead.
“Live in such a way that your joy inspires the people around you,” Beatty said. “And love fearlessly. Love in such a way that it casts out fear. If that love is toward God and toward people, it covers everything.”
Photo courtesy of Wesley.org.
